Duplicating machine



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 21. 1938 k L w o o M T F T T m N A a 1 n v N K I Y M a r mv u m fl //u m I I Q H Ff it 55: a @m April 16, 1940. F, R. FORD DUPLICATING MACHINE 1958- 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 21

INVENTQK A'r'ry t Frank Kvno'd Fur-d i (n V I April 16, 1940.

F. R. FORD DUPLICATING MACHINE Filed Sept. 21, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Frank Ford lNVELN'T'OfE, A K

7 Ken A 'Y.

Patented Apr. 16, 11940 c U I ED STA -5 PATENT {OF ICE v H n UPLICATING MACHINE Frank- Ronald Ford, Small Heath, Birmingham,

'- r' England l l Ap lication-September 21, 1938, Serial No. 230,934

In Great Britain September 25, 1937 6Claims ((31. 101-432 This invention relates to duplicating, machines of the type Whereinithsheets upon which the copies arev to be made are passed one by one through the nip between a cylinder and a pres- L sure roller; where they'are brought'into pressure Y by hand, being placed 'on a platform or chute which has ,one end disposed adjacent the nip aforesaid. Themachine is usually arranged so that the operator is given anihdication as to when each copy sheet should be inserted 'in' order thatjit may register correctly with the master jsheet, and'such indication may be :given by suit- "able'checking means which offer a definite'resistance to the movement of the cylinder at a, certain 'pointjin each revolution thereof. I Whilst hand feeding of the copy sheets is satisfactory; when theicylinder is only, being rotated at a slow speed, very considerable skill and judgment' on the'part of the-operator is-calle'd for if a sh'eetj is to be" fed incorrectly at each revolution of'the'cylinderwhen the latter is being continuously rotated atya rapid rate.

The chief object of; thejpresent invention is toenables'heets tobefed into the machine and copies made .thereon 'much" faster than has been possible hitherto and without the necessityv for any skilli'on the part of theoperator. I

Referring to the drawings:

Fig i e 1' is a side elevation of aduplica'ting ma-' chine embodying the'presen't invention. Figure 2 'is-a plan view otgthe same. Figures 3, 4 and 5 arefsections' on the lines 3- -3, 4"14, and 5-5,'respectively, of Figure 2-.

' In the construction of duplicating' machine il-' lustrated, a transversely disposedimpression cylinder I'iS arranged between the side members'2,

2', which latter are secured together by tie-rods '3, 3. ",Thecylinder Izis mounted'on a spindle 4 and is operated by a crank handle 5 through a train of sp'ur gears jwhich nay give a velocity ratio of two tojone. The crank handle 5-is associated ,with'a"gear 6 and the cylinder spindle .4

with a 'gear'l, these drivingand driven gears Q, Threshing, respective1y,-with; thev two parts 8, 9

ofacompoundidle gear.

:The driven or; cylinder gear land the idle gear 5 part 9v meshing'therewith are -mutilated'so as to No; 168,152, filed October 9, 1937.

crates therewith.

provide an'intermittent drive. -In'a convenient arrangement, the teeth of the idle gear part 9 are removed for about one quarter of its circumference, leaving a-gap ,Ill whosebase is concentric" with the pitch circle of the gear part; The driven 5 gear I ilikewise has a portion of its periphery which is free from teeth and is formed instead with a projection H- shaped to co-operate with -.the gap Ill-in the gear pa rt 9.

The machine is provided with means for ar- 10 resting the cylinder 1 once in each revolution, and

such means may include a spring-controlled de-, a tent [2 adapted to engagein a recess IS in the periphery of a collar M mounted on the cylinder the cylinder l: fSuch a device isldesc'ribed in the specification of my co-pending, applicationSerial The cylindercarriesa mechanical clamp i5 whichmay be constructed as described and shown 20 in' the specification of Letters Patent N 0.2 ,048,543, issued-to me July 21, 1,936, and whichis adapted to engage one edge of a master sheet it from which the copies are to be made, the rest or" the sheet l Gbeing wrapped around the cylinder i. 25

' Engagement of thespring detent H with the recess I3 indicates the moment at which a copy sheet should be fed into the machine for correct registration with the master sheet I6 on the cyl inder 'l, and the-gears aforesaid are soarranged 30 I Consequently, Whenthe cylinder 1 is arr'ested ;as above mentioned, the driving connection between 'it and the crank handle a is temporarily "interrupted, the next halfj-turn ofthe handle 5 having noeffect on the cylinder I. "After this "half-turn has been made, of course, the idle gearpart .9 again drives-the cylinder gear and r0 tation of the cylinder-I is continued.

In front of-the cylinder I is arranged a hori Qzontal table ll upon which a pile of copy sheets" g IBmay beplaced, the rear end of thistable l1 bem'gdispos'ed closeto the nip'between the cy1-' inder l and a'pressure roller 19- which co-op- The machineis provided with brackets 2o, 20

projecting forwardly, one at either'side of them) tablelL and to each of these brackets 20, 20a

- swinging arm 2| ispivoted. Preferably'such arms lareconstituted by the limbs of a U-shaped memfber, whose central part 22 extends transversely. fof and above thetable' l'l The swinging arms 20, are connected by a hollow or other bar 23 on which is pivoted a feeding member adapted to rest upon the pile of copy sheets 18. t

A suitable operative connection is provided between the cylinder l and the swinging arms 20, 20 so that the latter are continuously oscillated during the revolution of the crank handle 5 which drives the cylinder 8, such oscillation causing a movement of the feeding member backwards and forwards in relation to the pile of copy sheetslB. The operative connection aforesaid is con-- veniently arranged by linking one of th'e'a'rms 20, 2t? to a crank pin 24 on the idle gear part 9 which meshes with the cylinder gear 1. The link employed may comprise two substantially horizon' tal portions 25, 25 fixedly connected at their a jacent ends by an upright portion 27. 1

Obviously, instead of the feeding member being carried by the oscillating arms 20, 20, it may be associated with a carrier which reciprocates hori- I,

zontally'al'o ng suitable'guides.

The feeding member aforesaid conveniently comprises a pair of rollers 28, 2'8rotatably mounted on the limbs of a fork 29 whose centralportion v is providedwith a stem 30 pivoted on the transverse part3 which connects the swinging arms 20, 2c. The fork stem 30, for example, maybe attachedbya screw?! "to a block 32 which is pivotally mounted; centrally of the transverse bar 23 but, which can be locked thereto by means of a clamping screw 33 pin order that the rollers 28,

28 may be'gheld clear of the copy sheetsl8 when d it is not desired to use the automatic feed.

When this elamping screw 33 is slacked off, the rollers 23, 28 rest on the uppermost copy sheet l8, and in order that both rollers 28, 23 may bear equally on the latter, the fork stem 3!] is preferably arranged to allow a swivelling movement of the fork 29 in relation to the pivoted block 32 e associated therewith. For example, the forkstem I 3E3 may be free to oscillate upon the screw 3| to effect of the rollers 28, 28 on the copy sheet be serrated or roughened as shown.

'an extent dependent upon the length' of'a c ircumferential recess or slot 34 formed in the stem 30 and into which projects a pin 35 on the block 372. e

,;Attached to the side, of each roller- 28 is a ratchet wheel 35 which-co-operates with a pivoted pawl 31 carried on the adjacentlimb of thefork 29 and urged into contact with the ratchet wheel 36 by a suitable spring 38. Theteeth of the ratchetwwheels 36, 36 are so arranged that the rollers 28, 23 rotate freely on theirspindles 9,

39 when the feeding member is moved away from i Y '55 the, cylinder I, but are prevented from rotating (and hence tend to carry the top copy sheet 3 i with them) when the feeding member movesto wards the cylinder I To increase the frictional theymay be formed or covered with rubber or other suitable material, and their peripheries may If desired, a single long roller may be substie tuted for the two rollers 28, 28 aforesaid, in which case only one ratchet wheel and pawl is necessary.

The pile of copy sheets is located laterally on the table I! by means of suitable stops, each of which may comprise a base plate 40 lying flat on the table Il and an angle section member 4! sesheet.

when the feeding member is acting-upon the top Each stop is adjustable ing device, which may take the form of a T- headed screw 43 whose stem extends upwardly transversely of the table ll and-may be secured thereto by a clampthrough a slot 44 in the table I! and through a hole in thebase plate 46] of the stop, the end of the stem carrying a nut 55 formed with a suitunderside of. the table H. Each stop maybe; provided with a bridge-piece 48 or other pro i;-

jection which extends through the slot 44'andis adapted to engage the T head 41 on theclamping screw 43 A similar I I tudinally of the table l1, may be provided on the latter for engagement with that endof the pile of 15 I e to prevent the latter from turning on its axis.

stop, adapted for adjustment longi-f 'copy'sheets i8 'whichlie's remote :fiomthe cyl :t

of the feeding-member.

ihderl. It is, hewever; preferred to provide aft"thi s position some'nieans forlightly clamping thefpile of copy Sheets 18 to the table "lfl whichimari's, when the height of the'pile has been so, reduced that the "memorial strips 42 o'f the side stops have little'or n'o griplthere'oin, willstill'loca'itethe remaining sheets on the table/l1 without Jere-i venting their fdrward movement the "aetidn The cramping-metre nae-ea m yi'coinpn an upright post i9 haviriig at its ower "en'dfa' screwed stm'Bd'ivhich extenc s 'thrbugha central on im mainot arm the table and is provided below thelattr'with a wing nutfs'z rorseeurih' y it any desired position.

A assure plate saturated toflbear ri -on are upper surface "of the pile i8 is 'provided'a't the. end

adjacent :theYcylind'er with an upstandingv bracket. 54 which is "connected by a 55 'to "the urea en er the. postfiflfthelatter scantily, being adjusted to a position abutting theend' of c the pile is; The endof thei'plate 5.3 carryingthe Bahama the'oppdsite (or front) enact the. p ate '53'merely rests uponfthe, ctpysheas andiii'aylbe i or other ifriction materialfas faced with rubber at 51. u

lows

then moved up and secured in new,

The cylinder l, is rotated untilop'eration' ofthe arresting device [2; occurs, 'i n'dicating that the The operation of theautomaticfd is as ifo master sl' e et I'G'isin the correct position fortlier .7

application bf a copy sheet/thereto.

' As already mentioned; the drive taween the crank handle 5 and-the 'cylinderfis interrupted at'this pesition of the nae am the arra geber is now at the n doffits sproiaerarthesr-rrem the cylinder l. If the handIeTB has already been moved inaavertenuyto the 1111 extent of 'itsj'free travelyasiwi ll probablyj'b'ethe oasa' it must be "turned backwardly so t'o b'ring the feeding member into the position "afor'esa'idrv t The feeding member is then Iow'red'into' tactwithf the top o ey sheet 'andfonf turfiingfthe I heme 5*f6fwardlytb the run feiitent of its-m g. i

T65 merit of the parts is such'that tlie'fediiig mez'ntravel, the feeding member will carry the top sheet towards the cylinder I.

A further backward and forward movement of the handle 5 may be necessary before the leading edge of the copy sheet is brought hard up to the nip between the cylinder I and pressure roller 59, which position of the sheet will be indicated by the latter bulging upwardly.

The crank handle 5 is now rotated in the ordinary way to carry the copy sheet through the machine, and in each subsequent revolution of the cylinder I the latter will pause whilst the operating handle 5 makes half a turn, during which idle movement of the handle the feed mechanism will operate as above described to advance a copy sheet at the correct instant.

It will be seen that, once the first copy'sheet .has been brought up to the nip, the feeding of the sheets is fully automatic and copies will be made as fast as the handle 5 can be rotated, the friction strips 42 of the side stops co-operating with the pressure plate 53 to ensure'that only one sheet at a time is advanced.

What I claim then is:

1. A duplicating machine comprising a stationary frame, a rotatable cylinder having means for attaching a master sheet thereto, a roller cooperating with said cylinder and adapted to bring a moistened copy sheet into pressure contact with the master sheet thereon, a table adapted to support a pile of copy sheets, a feeding member adapted to engage frictionally with the top sheet of said pile, and means operatively connecting said cylinder to said feeding member so that, at a predetermined point in each revolution of said cylinder, a copy sheet is automatically fed in the machine, said connecting means including levers mounted for oscillation at opposite sides of said table, a crossbar having its ends attached to said levers, a block pivotally mounted on saidcrossbar and carrying said feeding member, and means. on said block for positioning said feeding member angularly of said crossbar.

2. A duplicating machine comprising a' stationary frame, a rotatable cylinder having means for attaching a master sheet thereto, a roller cooperating with said cylinder and adapted to bring a moistened copy sheet into pressure contact with the master sheet thereon, a table adapted to support a pile of copy sheets, lateral guides on'said table for said pile of copy sheets, a feeding member adapted for oscillation towards and away from said cylinder and engaging frictionally with the top sheet of said pile, means operatively connecting said cylinder to said feeding member so that, at a predetermined point in each revolution of said cylinder, a copy sheet is automatically fed in the machine, means associated with said guides for frictionally resisting longitudinal movement of said pile as a whole during feeding of said top sheet, a bracket mounted on said table at the rear end of said pile, a plate resting on the top of said pile adjacent the rear end thereof to assist the last-mentioned means in locating saidpile, and a link connecting said bracket to the front part of said plate.

3. A' duplicating machine comprising a stationary frame, a rotatable cylinder having means for attaching a master sheet thereto, a roller cooperating with said cylinder and adapted to bring a moistened copy sheet into pressure contact with the master sheet thereon, a table adapted to support a pile of copy sheets, lateral guides in said table for said pile of copy sheets, a feeding member adapted for oscillation towards and away from said cylinder and engaging frictionally with the top sheet of said pile, means operatively connecting-said cylinder tosaidfeeding member so that, at a predetermined point in each revolutionof said cylinder, a copy sheet is automatically fed in the machine, means associated with said guides for frictionally resisting longitudinal movement of said pile as a whole during feeding of said top sheet, a bracket mounted on said table at the rear end of said pile, a plate resting on the top of said pile adjacent the rear end thereof to assist the last-mentioned means in locating said pile, and a link connected at its upper extremity to said bracket and extending forwardly therefrom, its lower extremity being pivoted to said plate at a position spacedfrom the rear end of said pile.

4. A duplicating machine comprising a stationary frame, a rotatable cylinder having means for attaching a master sheet thereto, a roller cooperating with said cylinder and adapted to bring a moistened copy sheet into pressure contact with the master sheet thereon, a table adapted to support a pile of copy sheets, lateral guides on said table for said pile of copy sheets, a feeding member adapted for oscillation towards and away from said cylinder and engaging frictionally with the top sheet of said pile, means operatively connecting said cylinder to said feeding member so that, at a predetermined point in each revolution of said cylinder, a copy sheet is automatically fed in the machine, means associated with said guides for frictionally resisting longitudinal movement of said pile as a whole during feeding of said top sheet, a bracket mounted on said table and forming a stop for the rear end of said pile, an arm pivoted to said bracket and extending towards said cylinder, a plate pivoted to the free end of said arm and adapted to engage the top of said pile to assist the last mentioned means in locating the latter, a spring connecting said arm to said bracket and urging said plate against said pile and friction material provided on the underside of said plate at a position rearwardly of the pivotal attachment of said arm to said plate.

5. A duplicating machine comprising a stationary frame, a rotatable cylinder having means operating with said cylinder and adapted to bring a moistened copy sheet into pressure contact with the master sheet thereon, a table adapted to support a pile of copy sheets, lateral guides on said table for said pile of copy sheets, a feeding member adapted for oscillation towards and away from said cylinder and engaging frictionally with the top sheet of said pile, means operatively connecting said cylinder to said feeding member so that, at a predetermined point in each revolution .of said cylinder, a copy sheet is automatically fed in the machine, means associated with said guides for frictionally resisting longitudinal movement of said pile as awhole during feeding of said top sheet, a bracket mounted on said table at the rear end of said pile, a plate resting on the top of said pile adjacent the rear end thereof to assist the last-mentioned means in locating said pile, a link connected at its upper extremity to saidbracket and extending forwardly therefrom, its lower extremity being pivoted'to said plate at a position spaced from therear end of said pile, and a friction facing on said table disposed beneath said plate and engagingthe underside of said pile. I

6. A duplicating machine comprising a stafor attaching a master sheet thereto, a roller cotionary frame, a rotatable cylinder having means for attaching a master sheet thereto, a roller co operating with said cylinder and adapted to bring a moistened copy sheet into pressure contact with the master sheet thereon, a tableadapted to support a. pile of copy sheets, lateral guides on said table for said pile of copy sheets, a feeding member adapted for oscillation towards and away from said cylinder and engaging frictionally with the top sheet of said pile, means operatively conmeeting said cylinder to said feeding member so that, at a predetermined point in each revolution of said cylinder, a copy sheet is automatically fed in the machine, means associated with said guides for frictionally resisting longitudinal movement of said pile as a whole during feeding of said top sheet, a bracket-mountedonsaid table and forming a stop for the rear end of said pile, an arm pivoted to said bracket and extending towards said cylinder, a plate pivoted to the free end of said arm and adapted to engage the top of said pile to assist the last mentioned means in locating the latter, a spring connecting said arm to said bracketand; urging said plate against said pile, friction material provided on the underside of said plate at a position rearwardly of the pivotal attachment of said arm to said plate, a

second plate fixed to said bracket and engaging 

